Assistance is provided whenever necessary to keep all students on track with the program's learning goals and outcomes.
Because programs are small, faculty members are partners in learning with students and closely monitor their progress. Our system provides students and faculty with a complete look at individual performance. Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences uses these evaluative tools: written exams, demonstration of skills, self-assessment exercises, and faculty reviews. Neptune has the passion to prepare students to the best of her ability before they start clinicals. Through working with students and new employees in the operating room, Mrs. Her teaching approach is based off hands on training and the simulation of real operating room experience before students are in a real operating room. Neptune's surgical interests include aortic surgery and minimally invasive valve repair and replacements. After graduating from this program, she worked in a variety of specialties and shifts at Saint Marys before finding her passion within cardiac surgery. She was a part of the inaugural class of the Surgical First Assistant program here at Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences. Samantha graduated from the University of Wisconsin River Falls with a bachelor's degree in Biology. Samantha Neptune joined the program in 2021 after working in cardiac surgery at Mayo Clinic Hospital - Rochester, Saint Marys Campus for 8 years. ARC/STSA provides national recognition for higher education programs in surgical technology and surgical assisting, in collaboration with the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), in order to promote quality surgical patient care through quality credible education. She also serves as chair for the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC/STSA) board.
RN FIRST ASSISTANT PROGRAMS PROFESSIONAL
Olson is an active member of the National Surgical Assistant Association for which she is the chair of the professional development and education committee board. She is pursuing additional training in the subject through the Anatomy Training Program (co-sponsored by the Anatomical Society and American Association of Anatomists). Olson’s teaches and coordinates courses in pre-surgical theory, principles of surgical assisting, advanced topics in surgery, and has experience teaching anatomy. Olson continued her education and completed a master’s degree in clinical anatomy from New York College. Upon graduation from EVMS, she was hired at Mayo Clinic in the Cardiovascular Division in 2009. in counseling psychology and her M.A in liberal sciences from the University of Findlay and her graduate certification in surgical assisting from Eastern Virginal Medical School. Penkava is an active member of National Surgical Assistant Association (NSAA), the Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), and the Association of Surgical Education (ASE). She is a Silver Quality Fellow (Mayo Clinic Quality Academy) and received her Instructor of Nursing in 2014. Sarah Penkava is the program director and has been with the Surgical First Assistant Program since its inception. In 2012, the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences approved a new program to educate and train Surgical Assistants. Penkava went on to receive her Master’s in Nursing in 2009. Her first experience at Mayo Clinic (2002) was in surgery, specifically with pediatric airways in ENT, ophthalmology, plastic surgery, and oral surgery.
Sara Penkava started her nursing career in 1998 at Regions Hospital in St. The program's clinical experience will exceed these requirements. In order to take the National Commission for the Certification of Surgical Assistants (NCCSA) examination, candidates are required to complete a minimum of 400 clinical hours and a minimum of 240 cases. The clinical rotations offered as part of the Surgical First Assistant Program require experience in a minimum of 240 cases (approximately 1,150 hours) and include these surgical areas: The opportunity to develop a research paper for publication is also offered.ĭuring the program, learning experiences include: Clinicals are conducted in the various surgical suites of Mayo Clinic Hospital - Rochester to obtain the necessary technical skills vital to this role. Classroom time is spent learning about the operating room culture and techniques, participating in an intensive anatomy review with the cadaver lab, and learning about expectations of the surgical assistant. Through the coursework you will gain the knowledge and skills for professional practice in surgery.